Purpose

Link to Executive decision: Decision - Department for Transport Capital Funding - North Northamptonshire Council

Decision

To award contract PC 2614 to Bland’s (Rutland) Ltd for the continued operation of service CB1 and 601 on Mondays to Fridays between Oundle, Thrapston and Rushden Lakes from Saturday 29 August 2026 to Sunday 03 September 2028, with an optional extension to 02 September 2029. 

Reasons for the decision

Most bus services are provided commercially, but the Council can supplement these services with additional subsidised services.

The Council has its own supported bus service budget of £304,000.  This is supplemented by £2,747,301 of Government revenue grant from the Bus Services Fund for each financial year 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29. In addition, £2,504,459 of Local Authority Bus Grant and £8,149 of Bus Service Operators Grant funding from 2025/26 was carried forward into the 2026/27 financial year. This grant funding can be spent more widely than just supporting subsidised bus services, but it is anticipated that the larger proportion of the funding will be spent in this way.

Since receiving the first significant levels of revenue grant funding for buses in September 2023, the Council has been progressively implementing improved bus services for its communities and a number of the early contracts are now coming to an end. 

This local bus contract award replaces an existing contract and contains several changes to make more effective use of funding through matching service level and vehicle size more closely to the demand of services.

The specific changes are a new contract PC 2614 will continue the existing Monday to Friday service CB1 and 601 between Oundle, Thrapston and Rushden Lakes.

The Council’s contributions will be funded from Government grant funding.